1. Why we are looking at Saw Creek Estates
Saw Creek Estates is a planned community in Middle Smithfield & Lehman Townships, Monroe and Pike Counties, Pennsylvania, governed by Saw Creek Estates Community Association, Inc. Like most Poconos lake and resort communities, it has a property owners’ association that collects assessments and adopts rules—and, in many communities, rules about renting. Those rules are only as strong as the authority behind them in the recorded governing documents.
Short-term rental policy: Under the association’s Rental Policy effective January 1, 2026, owners must hold the township short-term rental permit, register every tenant with the association at least two business days before the tenancy begins, be members in good standing, and pay the association’s rental fees. (Source: Rental Policy (effective January 1, 2026).)
2. Does Saw Creek Estates charge short-term rental fees?
Saw Creek Estates charges owners an annual rental fee of $325.00 for every rental property, plus a $50.00 non-refundable transaction fee each time a rental is registered, under the association’s Rental Policy effective January 1, 2026.
| Charge | Amount (as stated by source) | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rental fee (charged in arrears) Effective January 1, 2026 | $325.00 per year | All rental properties |
| Non-refundable transaction fee due at each tenant registration Effective January 1, 2026 | $50.00 per registration | Short- and long-term rentals |
| Expedited rental registration fee (registration received less than two business days before the rental) Effective January 1, 2026 | $75.00 | Late registrations |
| Citation for failure to register a tenant Effective January 1, 2026 | $250.00 per occurrence | Short- and long-term rentals |
Source: Rental Policy (effective January 1, 2026) (Saw Creek Estates Community Association, Inc.).
Fee information last checked October 1, 2026. Fee schedules change; tell us if yours is different.
Whether that charge is legally enforceable depends in part on the recorded governing documents. If you pay it because you rent, we will review the declaration and the charge for free.
Saw Creek Estates Governing Documents
- Rental Rules Rental Policy (effective January 1, 2026) Effective January 1, 2026. Source: Association website. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
Documents are listed for reference. We have not published an analysis of these provisions; the source documents control.
Have the Saw Creek Estates Declaration or Covenants?
Send us the HOA name and tell us about the fee. We are happy to review the governing documents and evaluate the STR charge FOR FREE.
Don’t have them? Submit the HOA name anyway. Declarations are usually recorded with the county recorder of deeds, and the association’s resale packet or member portal often includes them.
3. Why the recorded declaration matters
A planned community declaration is treated as a contract between the association and its members. Rules and bylaws adopted later do not override it: under Pennsylvania’s Uniform Planned Community Act, if the declaration and the bylaws conflict, the declaration prevails (68 Pa.C.S. § 5203(c)).
In Chan, the Commonwealth Court held that a bylaw amendment regulating short-term rentals—including enrollment and annual fees—was void and unenforceable because “authorization for such regulation is not provided in the Declaration.” Whether the same is true at Saw Creek Estates depends on what Saw Creek Estates’s own declaration and amendments say. Some declarations do give associations authority over rentals; courts look at the specific language.
4. Short-term rentals and residential use
Associations sometimes argue that renting is a “commercial” use. In Ruffed Grouse Ridge, the Commonwealth Court held that renting a home to private parties—short-term or long-term—did not violate a covenant limiting use to “private residential purposes only,” so long as the renters used it for residential purposes. The court focused on how renters actually use the home, not on how long they stay. The result for any community still turns on its own covenant language.
5. What types of charges should Saw Creek Estates owners send us?
- Annual STR permit fees — A yearly charge to be allowed to rent short-term.
- Annual rental assessments — An extra assessment billed only to owners who rent.
- Per-rental or per-stay charges — A charge every time a guest checks in.
- Renter-registration fees — Fees to register a tenant or rental with the association.
- Guest-registration charges — Charges tied to registering renters as guests.
- Mandatory STR amenity charges — Amenity, beach, or facility fees imposed because the home is rented.
- Rental inspection fees — Inspections required only of rented homes.
- Special security charges — Security fees billed to renting owners.
- Rental-processing fees — Administrative or “processing” charges for rentals.
- Badges, wristbands, or passes — Passes required only because a property is rented.
- Other rental-triggered fees — Anything you are charged because you rent short-term.
Listing a charge here is not a claim that Saw Creek Estates imposes it, or that it is unlawful. The declaration controls the analysis.
Sources for this page
- Rental Policy (effective January 1, 2026) — Saw Creek Estates Community Association, Inc., effective January 1, 2026 (retrieved October 1, 2026). Association source.
- Short-term Rental Friendly Pocono Communities — PoconoVacationHomeSales (retrieved October 1, 2026). Secondary source.